About Me

Synopsis: This is a cautionary tale. A seriously disturbed couple find the charming, old ruin of a Queen Anne Victorian in Russellville, Arkansas, and buy it for $1.00. They tore the roof off, cut it in half, and had it moved to some land they owned sixteen miles away because they didn't know any better. Since then, they have hired and fired contractors, had all of their tools stolen, re-wired, re-plumbed, insulated, and essentially rebuilt the entire house. Their only problem is that after four years it still isn't finished. Now they are tired, broke, and wonder what in the hell it is they've done to themselves. And, it's haunted.

Art: From time to time, I receive requests for my art. If you would like to look at more of my art, go to The Failed Artist. If you would like to buy my art, email me. I am more than happy to answer any questions you might have. Thanks!

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Tuesday, August 08, 2006

The Kitchen Sink

Yep, here it is. Not very exciting to look at, but we’re very glad to have it. Currently, this is the only working sink in the Devil Queen and we love it.

The sink is cast iron with an enamel finish. It’s a Kohler from 1972 and made in the USA (possibly Arkansas) judging from everything stamped on its underside. My wife got this from her father several years ago, long before the Devil Queen. He owned an old house in Russellville that was converted into a restaurant. They completely remodeled the house, and the kitchen was gutted. We were supposed to get the clawfoot tub too, but it got away from us. They removed it from the house by tying a chain around it and dragging it through the exterior wall with a pickup truck. They set it out at the curb and let some guy take it for free.

Wife: “Dad, where is the clawfoot tub?”

Dad: “Oh, they got rid of that.”

Wife: “What?! I wanted that tub.”

Dad: “That old thing? Why?”

Wife: “Do you know how much that tub was worth [it was in near perfect condition]?”

Dad: “No.”

Wife: “Probably around $1000.”

Dad [looking very shocked]: “Oh.”

The top edge is a little scratched and scuffed (the guys gutting the house weren’t gentle), but it’s in pretty good condition. The color is a pale, creamy yellow that somehow manages to blend into the kitchen. You can’t really tell from the photo, but the sink has two basins. The one on the left is maybe 6 inches deep and 9 inches wide. It’s great for rinsing dishes & vegetables or thawing stuff. The main basin on the right is super deep and wide; I love that. You can fit nearly anything into it: whole turkeys, ritual sacrifices, and the like.

If you add up the cost of materials and the faucet we bought on eBay, the total cost for the sink et al is around $120. Not bad since I’ve seen similar sinks ($350+) and faucets ($200+) at Lowe’s. O, the joys of salvage.

I was a little concerned that the sink was too close to the stove (to the left of the sink) at first, but it works really well. You can go to and from the sink to stove and vice versa without making an enormous mess or worrying about spilling boiling water on someone. Need some more water for something cooking on the stove? Just snake the sprayer attachment over and turn on the water. I like this a lot better than the fancy $500 faucets they’ve started installing over high-end stoves. I’m just not comfortable with any indoor water spigot that isn’t mounted over a drain of some sort; that is a disaster waiting to happen.